It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, lots of sunshine, not too cold, great day for a walk. This time we were alone, with no show-offs along for the jaunt. Our hibiscus is blooming again, one is a coral and the other a double cherry-pop red. The second lot of narcissus have started and they smell soooooo good. I don't even get tired of the aroma. The next to come, in a few weeks will be an amaryllis. I love flowers in the winter.
It's a good day for tea, as is almost every day. Far Western Trading Company is on tap today, with their Grand Keemun, China Black Tea. Dry, the leaves are somewhat long and thin, with almost a grayish cast to the black leaves. I brewed it on the strong side - 9 teaspoons for a 7 cup pot and let it do its thing for 3.5 minutes. I can't say anything about the aroma as something burned on the oven floor and that is pretty much the smell in the house.
Because of that, I don't think this is a good day for tea tasting and I can't give this a fair trial, as smell is so closely related to taste. I 'll have some more tomorrow and let you know then.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Tea for Me
Tuesday January 4, 2011
More of that courtyard in Italy. I am very jealous of them - they
have a 5 foot rosemary. But mine is still alive in its second winter -a near miracle. It's very hard to find the balance of cool, light and water.
I was going to brag about being good about after Christmas candy and chocolate sales. Until they had stuff I really liked at about 80% off. Especially the boxes of shortbread for $2 - usually $6 and the Lindt reindeer for 32 cents (even if my husband thinks it looks like a rabbit). I was only pretty good. It's still better than awful, right? I didn't find any tea sales that good, but a number of companies are having sales, so you should do some surfing and see what's available. I can't - it's either more tea or a new husband. It was a tough decision, but he won-lol.
I was in the doctor's office today and they had this month's issue of Your Health, one of those free papers. There was an article in there recommending drinking tea. It was very short, but listed the benefits of all the main types - white, green, oolong and black. I guess tea is coming into its own. Now if we could get people to concentrate more on tea and not flavorings.
Having said that, I am almost embarrassed to review today's tea - Creme Brulee from Metropolitan tea company, via our local tea seller Front N Center. I got it while I was discussing doing an interview with Simon, the owner and chef of Simon Says, the small restaurant attached to the shop. It's kind of a pretty tea, with attractive brown leaves and some red and blue petals to perk it up. It smells mostly of tea, with a sort of burnt smell. Creme Brulee means burnt cream, although it is really the sugar on top that is "burnt". I brewed it for 3.5 minutes and the aroma continued. The taste was just vaguely sweet on top of a pleasant Ceylon. There was a little kick of astringency at the end.
More of that courtyard in Italy. I am very jealous of them - they
have a 5 foot rosemary. But mine is still alive in its second winter -a near miracle. It's very hard to find the balance of cool, light and water.
I was going to brag about being good about after Christmas candy and chocolate sales. Until they had stuff I really liked at about 80% off. Especially the boxes of shortbread for $2 - usually $6 and the Lindt reindeer for 32 cents (even if my husband thinks it looks like a rabbit). I was only pretty good. It's still better than awful, right? I didn't find any tea sales that good, but a number of companies are having sales, so you should do some surfing and see what's available. I can't - it's either more tea or a new husband. It was a tough decision, but he won-lol.
I was in the doctor's office today and they had this month's issue of Your Health, one of those free papers. There was an article in there recommending drinking tea. It was very short, but listed the benefits of all the main types - white, green, oolong and black. I guess tea is coming into its own. Now if we could get people to concentrate more on tea and not flavorings.
Having said that, I am almost embarrassed to review today's tea - Creme Brulee from Metropolitan tea company, via our local tea seller Front N Center. I got it while I was discussing doing an interview with Simon, the owner and chef of Simon Says, the small restaurant attached to the shop. It's kind of a pretty tea, with attractive brown leaves and some red and blue petals to perk it up. It smells mostly of tea, with a sort of burnt smell. Creme Brulee means burnt cream, although it is really the sugar on top that is "burnt". I brewed it for 3.5 minutes and the aroma continued. The taste was just vaguely sweet on top of a pleasant Ceylon. There was a little kick of astringency at the end.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Tea with Frances and the Saints
What a pretty day it is! The sky is a gorgeous blue and there is a vast assortment of clouds - real stratus - the layered ones, cumulus, cumulo-nimbus, cumulo-stratus, some mare's tails. It was hard to drive and look.
Church was interesting today - we sang a hymn I haven't sung in ages - "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God". The last verse talks about where you might meet these saints and one of the places was "over tea." What a surprise. I just hugged myself with glee. I love this little church of 10-12 hardy souls, 4 service dogs and assorted children. The church burned down a few months ago and here they are, carrying on. Their community is supporting them, other churches have given gifts of Bibles and hymn books and they have worked hard to salvage what they can and move forward. It took 20 washes to get their Christmas banners clean and their communion cloth is still singed, the organist's hymnal is grey with soot and the small electric organ she uses coughs and wheezes, but there we are.
I think it's time for this wannabee saint to have some tea. Upton's Frances Bissell's Special Blend seems to be calling me. This is a mix of select Ceylon teas. They are indeed a mixture of long black and brown leaves with a very earthy/good tobacco aroma. I know tobacco is bad for you, but I grew up in a family of pipe smokers and I loved to smell the different cans of tobacco the men had. We all reference what we know. Frances Bissell was a fairly well known Bristish cookbook author and food authority.
I brewed the tea for about 3.5 minutes with boiling water. As it brewed it continued with the earth/tobacco, but added a cornsilk/floral/citrus note. It is a fairly light tea, which I didn't expect, and the major flavor is somewhat citrussy, somewhat floral with only a few earthy base notes. I really expected it to be much stronger!
Church was interesting today - we sang a hymn I haven't sung in ages - "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God". The last verse talks about where you might meet these saints and one of the places was "over tea." What a surprise. I just hugged myself with glee. I love this little church of 10-12 hardy souls, 4 service dogs and assorted children. The church burned down a few months ago and here they are, carrying on. Their community is supporting them, other churches have given gifts of Bibles and hymn books and they have worked hard to salvage what they can and move forward. It took 20 washes to get their Christmas banners clean and their communion cloth is still singed, the organist's hymnal is grey with soot and the small electric organ she uses coughs and wheezes, but there we are.
I think it's time for this wannabee saint to have some tea. Upton's Frances Bissell's Special Blend seems to be calling me. This is a mix of select Ceylon teas. They are indeed a mixture of long black and brown leaves with a very earthy/good tobacco aroma. I know tobacco is bad for you, but I grew up in a family of pipe smokers and I loved to smell the different cans of tobacco the men had. We all reference what we know. Frances Bissell was a fairly well known Bristish cookbook author and food authority.
I brewed the tea for about 3.5 minutes with boiling water. As it brewed it continued with the earth/tobacco, but added a cornsilk/floral/citrus note. It is a fairly light tea, which I didn't expect, and the major flavor is somewhat citrussy, somewhat floral with only a few earthy base notes. I really expected it to be much stronger!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year Day
The first day of a brand new year. A picture of an ancient courtyard. What will the new year bring?
We all hope and pray for peace. For love, hope, joy, contentment.
Today is a quiet day. Our socialization has consisted of meeting several neighbors, patting their dogs, as we take advantage of the warmth and walk around. Watch the squirrels and deer, laugh at the cats who show off their climbing skills and run along the top of the fence "Look at ME, Mom"
I got seriously partied out. At the last one, I knew I was done, so I've been trying to be a bit quiet and recharge my batteries.
I haven't even been in the mood for new teas. I am having an "old favorites" week. Today is Twining's Prince of Wales, which I have always loved. That and Earl Gray were among my first teas other than something like Lipton's. I felt so exotic drinking them. How our tastes change.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year
The New Year fast approaches and I want to wish all of you the very best of health, peace, joy, good fortune - every good and wonderful thing for your lives this year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Crystal Morning
What a gorgeous morning! Everything is just shining with frost - every little branch and twig. The long needled pine looks ethereal and the weeping Norway spruce looks like a tulle-skirted ballerina. Our Lodge Pole pines remind me of those exquisite Chinese or Japanese ink drawings. In the midst of all that crystal are 3 red berry clusters on the sumac. Just perfect. Like all perfect things, quickly gone, but that is part of their perfection. It can't be prolonged, but it can give you so many moments of joy! I always find that true joy comes in little bits - the way a cat trots, the wobbles of a new fawn, the sun striking just so, the shape of a tree against the sky, a little kid dancing.
I've been savoring some green tea I have reviewed before - Life in Teacup's Snowflakes on Green Lake. It is the finest jasmine tea I have ever had - not that there aren't others as good or better, this is the best I personally have had. I am beginning to understand why the Chinese and Japanese serve their tea in such small cups. I used the whole pot of the Snowflakes in one very large cup. By the 2/3 mark, it was quite cool and getting bitter. I think a smaller pot and smaller cup would keep the enjoyment level high. Bigger is not always better.
I've been savoring some green tea I have reviewed before - Life in Teacup's Snowflakes on Green Lake. It is the finest jasmine tea I have ever had - not that there aren't others as good or better, this is the best I personally have had. I am beginning to understand why the Chinese and Japanese serve their tea in such small cups. I used the whole pot of the Snowflakes in one very large cup. By the 2/3 mark, it was quite cool and getting bitter. I think a smaller pot and smaller cup would keep the enjoyment level high. Bigger is not always better.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tea, Tisane and Teapots
A lovely bright day today after much wind and some snow. The birds are back at the feeders. I got a "squirrel fooler" feeder for Christmas, which I am hoping I will be able to put up closer to the trees and then see if the little buggers and the deer can empty this one!
Do you know the difference between tea and a tisane or infusion? I'll tell you. Tea only comes from the tea plant - Camellia sinensis. Just like coffee comes from a coffee plant. Anything else is not tea. It is an infusion or a tisane. This includes all herbal teas, all rooibos, all mate, honey bush, peppermint, sage, tulsi, etc. There are hundreds, if not thousands of variants of tea, depending on where it is grown and how it is processed. Personally I don't really consider the tea drinks to really be tea, but just a step away from soda and almost all of the flavored stuff falls in that category to me, also. I really prefer my tea straight up, although I do occasionally like Earl Gray and Jasmine. I may report on them here, but if I am drinking tea, it is tea, period.
Today I am preparing the first of my 2 new YiXing teapots for use. This one is for green tea. I first scrubbed it with a new sponge to get rid of any dust clinging to it and then rinsed it several times until it no longer smelled of clay. It is very importent to never use soap, as the clay is very porous. You also only use one type of tea per pot. Then I filled the pot with hot water and let it sit while I brought a pot of water to boil, threw in a handfull of assorted green teas - obviously I am not a purist - and let that boil for 5 minutes. Then I drained the little tea pot, took out as many tea leaves as I could and gently lowered the teapot into the water and turned down the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. I drained the teapot and put it in a safe place to thoroughly dry. Then it will be ready to make tea.
This is one way to season a YiXing pot. There are others. This was the simplest. These teapots acquire a patina over the years, just as silver does. I've read that with very old pots, you can practically make a cup of tea from the pot alone. We'll see how this all works. Tomorrow I will do the other one for flowery Oolongs, which I prefer to the more roasted tasting ones.
Do you know the difference between tea and a tisane or infusion? I'll tell you. Tea only comes from the tea plant - Camellia sinensis. Just like coffee comes from a coffee plant. Anything else is not tea. It is an infusion or a tisane. This includes all herbal teas, all rooibos, all mate, honey bush, peppermint, sage, tulsi, etc. There are hundreds, if not thousands of variants of tea, depending on where it is grown and how it is processed. Personally I don't really consider the tea drinks to really be tea, but just a step away from soda and almost all of the flavored stuff falls in that category to me, also. I really prefer my tea straight up, although I do occasionally like Earl Gray and Jasmine. I may report on them here, but if I am drinking tea, it is tea, period.
Today I am preparing the first of my 2 new YiXing teapots for use. This one is for green tea. I first scrubbed it with a new sponge to get rid of any dust clinging to it and then rinsed it several times until it no longer smelled of clay. It is very importent to never use soap, as the clay is very porous. You also only use one type of tea per pot. Then I filled the pot with hot water and let it sit while I brought a pot of water to boil, threw in a handfull of assorted green teas - obviously I am not a purist - and let that boil for 5 minutes. Then I drained the little tea pot, took out as many tea leaves as I could and gently lowered the teapot into the water and turned down the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. I drained the teapot and put it in a safe place to thoroughly dry. Then it will be ready to make tea.
This is one way to season a YiXing pot. There are others. This was the simplest. These teapots acquire a patina over the years, just as silver does. I've read that with very old pots, you can practically make a cup of tea from the pot alone. We'll see how this all works. Tomorrow I will do the other one for flowery Oolongs, which I prefer to the more roasted tasting ones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)